Pakistani authorities today effectively banned the import of satellite television equipment, placing a further curb on coverage of the country’s raging political crisis. An order issued by the commerce ministry said satellite dishes, decoders, recording and reception equipment could now only be imported into the country with the specific permission of Pakistan’s electronic media regulatory body. It came days after the government already blocked transmission by private news channels after the imposition of emergency rule on 3 November.
“All equipment used for reception, broadcast and distribution of satellite signals … shall be allowed into the country only after obtaining specific permission” from the authority, the ministry said in a statement. President Pervez Musharraf’s government has slapped strict curbs on media covering the crisis and at the weekend expelled three reporters for a British newspaper following an editorial against his rule.
(Source: AFP/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)
